Travel reviews by Gina Dai from NYC
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
6
Excursions taken
4
My Oct 2023 trip
Tanzania and 1 other country between 6 Oct 2023 and 17 Oct 2023
"This trip is by far my favorite trip I've ever taken!
Sadly we just missed the river crossing, all the wildlife we saw up close, the action and the amazing people we met and hospitality we received made the trip an experience of a lifetime.
It's been a few weeks since we've been back home and we're already starting to look at our next safari destination! We cannot wait to go back to Tanzania to visit friends we've made and to explore new destinations in Africa!
Thank you Jessica for planning and catering to all of our needs!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Thank you Jessica for planning this trip and for making sure all of our asks and needs are perfectly matched!
We loved all of your recommendations and all of our guides were top notch and made our entire trip so memorable.
For younger and more adventurous travelers, I think Maasai village visit or a bushman walk would be more interesting than a walking tour in Mto wa Mbu.
This was a misunderstanding on my part as I didn't look more into what Mto wa Mbu village tour was compared to Maasai village that Jessica originally recommended!"
Sadly we just missed the river crossing, all the wildlife we saw up close, the action and the amazing people we met and hospitality we received made the trip an experience of a lifetime.
It's been a few weeks since we've been back home and we're already starting to look at our next safari destination! We cannot wait to go back to Tanzania to visit friends we've made and to explore new destinations in Africa!
Thank you Jessica for planning and catering to all of our needs!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Thank you Jessica for planning this trip and for making sure all of our asks and needs are perfectly matched!
We loved all of your recommendations and all of our guides were top notch and made our entire trip so memorable.
For younger and more adventurous travelers, I think Maasai village visit or a bushman walk would be more interesting than a walking tour in Mto wa Mbu.
This was a misunderstanding on my part as I didn't look more into what Mto wa Mbu village tour was compared to Maasai village that Jessica originally recommended!"
Arranged By Jessica Plumb
Airport Planet Lodge
"Airport Planet Lodge review"
0 night
Arrived
6 Oct 2023
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Average
Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
6 Oct 2023
"Tarangire was the first leg of our trip and our very first safari experience! We were there for 2 nights and we loved the camp and had such an unforgettable experience.
The room and overall camp design was beautiful, and location was perfect - it was further into the park and close to where most of the animals were. Staff at Oliver's was beyond amazing - they really made sure we felt so welcome.
Above all, our guide, Samuel, truly made sure our first taste of safari unmatched. Sammy was the kind of guide that only wanted his guests to have the best experience and went above and beyond to deliver that. Not only was he so knowledgeable, but what touched us was his his infectious energy and love for wildlife and nature. He was so enthusiastic and made every sighting (big and small) so special. He made sure that we not only saw animals, but understood why they were behaving a certain way as he explained their behavior, habitat preferences, how animals interact with each other. With Sammy, I never felt rushed in observing animals and he made sure that I can take in all the moments while he helped to take photos when needed.
There was never a dull moment with Sammy - when we were on the road driving, he shared so many stories about his past sightings and his Maasai culture and upbringing that made every moment with him so memorable.
I hope Sammy can bring his passion for wildlife and nature to as many travelers as possible - we cannot thank him enough for giving his the best first taste of safari!"
The room and overall camp design was beautiful, and location was perfect - it was further into the park and close to where most of the animals were. Staff at Oliver's was beyond amazing - they really made sure we felt so welcome.
Above all, our guide, Samuel, truly made sure our first taste of safari unmatched. Sammy was the kind of guide that only wanted his guests to have the best experience and went above and beyond to deliver that. Not only was he so knowledgeable, but what touched us was his his infectious energy and love for wildlife and nature. He was so enthusiastic and made every sighting (big and small) so special. He made sure that we not only saw animals, but understood why they were behaving a certain way as he explained their behavior, habitat preferences, how animals interact with each other. With Sammy, I never felt rushed in observing animals and he made sure that I can take in all the moments while he helped to take photos when needed.
There was never a dull moment with Sammy - when we were on the road driving, he shared so many stories about his past sightings and his Maasai culture and upbringing that made every moment with him so memorable.
I hope Sammy can bring his passion for wildlife and nature to as many travelers as possible - we cannot thank him enough for giving his the best first taste of safari!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Cheetah
6 sightings
Eland
10+ sightings
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
10+ sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Plantation Lodge
"Plantation Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
8 Oct 2023
"The property was beautiful and we had the best time with the staff.
They were so kind to take us out for a walk around and into the village!"
They were so kind to take us out for a walk around and into the village!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
4 sightings
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Eland
10+ sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wild dog
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Mkombe's House Lamai
"Mkombe's House is beyond amazing!"
3 nights
Arrived
10 Oct 2023
"Mkombe's House is beyond amazing! The location, design, food, everything about it was perfect!
On top of that, we loved spending afternoons in the pool and seeing wildlife pass by! Sunrise and sunset at Mkombe's House are unmatched! Best of all, Babu (Mkombe's House manager) made sure everything was pristine and truly took care of us! We will remember all the games of Bao we played with Babu!
Our guide Amos in Serengeti was very experienced, he saw rhino footprints on our drive and managed to drive him down!"
On top of that, we loved spending afternoons in the pool and seeing wildlife pass by! Sunrise and sunset at Mkombe's House are unmatched! Best of all, Babu (Mkombe's House manager) made sure everything was pristine and truly took care of us! We will remember all the games of Bao we played with Babu!
Our guide Amos in Serengeti was very experienced, he saw rhino footprints on our drive and managed to drive him down!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
2 sightings
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Eland
10+ sightings
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Hippo
10+ sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
10+ sightings
Spotted Hyena
3 sightings
Wild dog
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
"Safari in Ngorongoro Crater review"
10 Oct 2023 • All-day excursion
Ngorongoro Crater is magical, the drive down from crater rim early in the morning was breathtaking.
My favorite part about Ngorongoro (other than the scenary) was observing hippos in the hippo pool.
It was fascinating to watch them so close up! Would definitely recommend at least a full day in Ngorongoro!
My favorite part about Ngorongoro (other than the scenary) was observing hippos in the hippo pool.
It was fascinating to watch them so close up! Would definitely recommend at least a full day in Ngorongoro!
Kigali Serena Hotel
"Kigali Serena Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
13 Oct 2023
"Location was so convenient and we were able to walk to Nyamirambo and got to explore on our own!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Kigali Tour and Genocide Memorial Visit
"Kigali Tour and Genocide Memorial Visit review"
13 Oct 2023 • All-day excursion
It was eye-opening to finally visit the Genocide Memorial and learn about Rwanda's past.
I'm most impressed by how resilient the country and Rwandan people are, at moving forward and paving a viable development path.
We met incredible people everywhere in Rwanda and their warmth and kindness really touched me.
We had so much fun with our driver (Ismail), he was so considerate and really made sure that we had the best time!
I'm most impressed by how resilient the country and Rwandan people are, at moving forward and paving a viable development path.
We met incredible people everywhere in Rwanda and their warmth and kindness really touched me.
We had so much fun with our driver (Ismail), he was so considerate and really made sure that we had the best time!
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
14 Oct 2023
"We planned our whole trip (mostly) around Sabyinyo's availability and our stay there did not disappoint.
The lodge itself was immaculate, food was amazing (and they make the most delicious cocktails!), but the staff at Sabyiyo left the biggest impression on us. We're so grateful they took such good care of us, from drying our boots after the treks, to raingear and snacks they'd pack everyday for us.
On our last night at Sabyinyo, we sat outside of the kitchen and ended up hanging out with the entire staff for hours into the night, talking, laughing and just enjoying each other's company.
We cannot wait to bring our friends back to Sabyinyo and show them how great it is!"
The lodge itself was immaculate, food was amazing (and they make the most delicious cocktails!), but the staff at Sabyiyo left the biggest impression on us. We're so grateful they took such good care of us, from drying our boots after the treks, to raingear and snacks they'd pack everyday for us.
On our last night at Sabyinyo, we sat outside of the kitchen and ended up hanging out with the entire staff for hours into the night, talking, laughing and just enjoying each other's company.
We cannot wait to bring our friends back to Sabyinyo and show them how great it is!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Mountain Gorilla
10+ sightings
Golden Monkey Trekking
"Golden Monkey Trekking review"
15 Oct 2023 • Morning excursion
It was amazing to see so many golden monkeys!
Gorilla Trekking Safari
"Gorilla Trekking Safari review"
16 Oct 2023 • Morning excursion
We spent an hour with the Kwitonda family and it was the fastest hour of my life.
We literally walked next to the whole family, the silverback included. Even though it rained the whole time and the trek was very muddy, being able to see them interact, still being so active and follow them as they moved through the mountain was an unforgettable experience!
We literally walked next to the whole family, the silverback included. Even though it rained the whole time and the trek was very muddy, being able to see them interact, still being so active and follow them as they moved through the mountain was an unforgettable experience!
Excellent
Staff was loving and location was very convenient."